Cross tie unloader



Dec. 14, 1965 G. STEWART CROSS TIE UNLOADER 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 1, 1961 INVENTOR. 60mm SEW/4R7 Dec. 14, 1965 G. STEWART 3,223,254

GROSS TIE UNLOADER Filed Nov. 1, 1961 v 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 20 W'ZZZZI: 2117: Z 3 5 if 121 INVENTOR.

60/20/15 7M4RT lwiw ATTORNE Y5 Dec. 14, 1965 G. STEWART cRoss TIE UNLOADER 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Nov. 1, 1961 INVENTOR. 6020/5 575M127 ATTORNEYS Dec. 14, 1965 G. STEWART CROSS TIE UNLOADER 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Nov. 1, 1961 R.T. 0R 5 4+ m Q mm 0 m Dec. 14, 1965 G. STEWART 3,223,254

CROSS TIE UNLOADER Filed Nov. 1, 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 United States Patent 3,223,254 CROSS TIE UNLOADER Gordie Stewart, General Oflices, Florida East Coast Railroad, St. Augustine, Fla. Filed Nov. 1, 1961, Ser. No. 149,308 Claims. (Cl. 2148.5)

This invention relates to apparatus for handling railroad crossties.

One object of the invention is to provide apparatus for unloading crossties from a railway car.

Another object is the provision of apparatus for unloading crossties from a railway car which has sides and wherein the apparatus is operable to discharge the ties from the car individually and over a predetermined side of the railway car and wherein operation of the apparatus may be accomplished as the car moves along the railway.

A particular object is to provide apparatus for unloading crossties which are stacked on .a railway car that has sides, and which is used in the transportation of crossties to prevent the stacked ties from being displaced laterally of the car during their transportation to areas of the railway needing tie replacements.

Another object is to provide tie unloading apparatus which can be operated from a railway car and which is power operated and moveable from one car to the next in a train of cars carrying crossties to be unloaded therefrom and which is designed to handle piles of crossties and to unload the ties from the pile one at a time and over the side of the car.

Another object is to provide a crosstie carrying and unloading apparatus that is operable to pick up a pile of stacked ties carried by the apparatus and to discharge the ties individually to the side of the railway.

Another object is to provide a mechanism in a form lift device which is designed to counteract the tilting tendency of the load supported by the lift.

Another object is to provide a crosstie unloading device which is capable of being operated to pick up a pile of stacked crossties and of discharging the ties from the pile selectively and laterally of the device, and which is provided with a mechanism that cooperates with a surface exteriorly of the device to counterbalance the tilting tendency of the load carried by the unloading device.

Ties to be used in railway installations are usually predrilled with separate sets of holes which will accommodate spikes for attaching rails of different sizes, a different set being selected for each size rail. When such ties are unloaded randomly to the side of the railway, the ties must be inspected and frequently turned end for end when being placed in the roadbed; whereas if the ties were unloaded and disposed to the side of the rail- Way in an orderly manner, the need for such inspection and turning could be eliminated. As such still another object of the invention is to provide a tie unloading device which is capable of unloading the ties from the railway cars and of dispersing the ties to the side of the roadbed in a more or less orderly manner which generally eliminates the need for such inspecting and turning when the ties are thereafter picked up by the track crews for placement in the roadbed.

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a tie unloading apparatus embodying principles of the invention described herein, the device being shown therein as mounted on track sections which are supported on a railed car of a train, certain parts of the apparatus being broken away and/or removed to facilitate an understanding of other parts of the apparatus.

FIGURE 2 is a top view of the railway car on which the unloading device of FIGURE 1 is mounted, certain parts of the device being removed and others illustrated by broken lines.

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FIGURE 3 is an elevational sectional view along the lines 3--3 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a side elevational view of the tie unloading device shown in FIGURE 1, the apparatus being shown therein with a pile of ties supported in a lifted position on the fork lift unit thereof.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged sectional fragmental view of certain portions of the apparatus taken along the line 5-5 of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 6 is a front elevational view of the tie unloader shown in FIGURE 5, with the pile of ties removed and certain parts broken away to clarify the workings of other parts of the device.

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a portion of the tie ejector mechanism of the device.

FIGURE 8 is a view along the lines 88 of FIGURE 7.

FIGURE 9 is a fragmentary view along the lines 99 of FIGURE 6, illustrating a portion of the chain drive mechanism for the carriage of the tie ejector unit.

FIGURE 10 is a fragmentary view taken along the lines 1 3-40 of FIGURE 4, certain parts being removed to illustrate a portion of the drive mechanism for the device.

FIGURE 11 is a diagrammatic drawing of the air system for the ram mechanism of the apparatus.

FIGURE 12 is a diagrammatic drawing of the hydraulic system utilized in the embodiment.

A tie unloading apparatus embodying the general principles of the invention is shown in the drawings and is generally designated at 1. The unloader is self-propelled and is arranged and adapted to travel upon and be operated from a trackway 2 which is supported on and extends lengthwise of .a train 4 of cars, like car 3 which is shown in FIGURES 2 and 3. Ties 9 to be unloaded therefrom are stacked crosswise of and on the trackway 2 and in piles which are generally designated at 5. The unloader 1 is adapted to unload the ties from the car by ejecting them laterally of the car and to the side of the railway 10 for the train 4.

Car 3 in the embodiment is of the gondola type, and is provided with an elongated flat load supporting platform or bed 6 and with side walls 7 and 8 which are supported on opposite sides of the platform. The opposite ends of the car 3 are open to enable passage of the tie unloader 1 from one car to the next.

Car 3 is divided into compartments 17 by a plurality of posts 18 which are fixed upright on the platform 6. The posts are spaced one from the other along the sides 7 and 8 of the car and are offset from the sides and the adjacent rail sections of trackway 2. The posts are aligned transversely of the car 3 in pairs which thereby form transversely extending partitions 15 that are open in the middle to enable passage of the trackway 2 and the unloader 1 therethrough. The posts 18 are secured to the adjacent side walls 7 and 8 by means of laterally extending straps which are collectively designated at 21, and which are fixed to the tops of the respective posts and to the adjacent side wall as shown in FIGURE 3. The partitions 15 serve to retain the stacked ties 9 in piles 5 and to restrain their overall movement longitudinally of the car 3 due to jarring while being transported.

Parallel track sections 11 and 12 of trackway 4 extend longitudinally of car 3. The sections are supported on and fixed to blocks 20 which are spaced one from the other in rows 13 and 14 that extend lengthwise of the car 3 and which are offset from each other inwardly of the adjacent side walls 7 and 8 respectively. Each of the blocks 20 extend laterally of and from beneath the rail section with which it is associated. The blocks in rows 13 and 14 and the rail sections supported thereon are separated by a space 16 to accommodate certain components of the tie unloader. The sections 11 and 12 may be coupled at their ends to track sections on adjacent cars in the train 4 by suitable car bridging track section links, not shown, to thereby form a continuous trackway 2 extending from one car to the next.

The tie unloader 1 embodying concepts of the invention includes a motorized railed vehicle 26 which is adapted to travel back and forth along trackway 2 and has a fork lift unit 27 which is mounted on the vehicle and which operates generally at the front thereof. The lift is adapted to pick up a pile of crossties, such as pile 19 (see FIG- URE 4), and to elevate the ties 9 in the pile to positions at which they may be ejected laterally of the unloader and over a predetermined side wall of the car. The ties are selectively ejected from the pile 19 by means of a tie ejector unit 28 which is mounted on the vehicle generally above the lift unit. A load stabilizing mechanism 31 is also mounted on the vehicle and is designed to prevent forward tilting of the unloader 1 under the load supported by the fork lift unit 27.

Vehicle 26 forms a carriage in the embodiment shown which is mounted on the train and the respective units and mechanisms of the tie unloading apparatus are mounted thereon. It has an elongated flat rigid main frame 32 which is suspended horizontally from flanged driven and following wheels, 33 and 34 respectively in space 16. As thus suspended, the bottom face 37 of the frame 32 is offset upwardly of the surface 36 of car platform 6 and the upper face of the main frame is slightly offset below the upper face 39 of the trackway forming rail sections so as to enable the front portion 40 of the frame 32 to pass beneath the crossties stacked on the trackway.

The frame 32 includes a pair of spaced longitudinally extending H-beams 43 and 44 which form the opposite parallel sides of the frame and which are rigidly interconnected at the rear end of the frame by a transversely extending cross member not shown in the drawings. The beams are spaced and fixed in parallel by rigid attachment to the opposite ends of transversely extending cross member 46. Member 46 is situated between the opposite ends of the frame and generally rearwardly of vertically extending secondary frame 47 on which the tie ejector unit 28 is mounted. When the apparatus 1 is supported on the rail sections '11 and 12, beams 43 and 44 are offset slightly inwardly of the adjacent blocks 20 and rail sections 12 and 11 as shown in FIGURE 6.

The secondary frame 47 is a flat open ended elongated vertically extending structure which is supported upright on and generally intermediate the front and rear ends of frame 32. The sides of the secondary frame 47 are in general vertically aligned with the sides of the main frame 32 and are formed by vertically extending posts 48 and 49 which are fixed in upright parallel spaced positions on the upper flanges of the side beams 43 and 44 respectively. The posts are braced by interconnecting angle member 50 which is welded at its opposite ends to the rear faces of the posts generally intermediate the opposite ends of the frame 47. The posts 48 and 49 support components of the tie ejector unit 28 and also function as guides for the vertical movement of fork lift unit 27.

Posts 48 and 49 are also braced in their upright positions by inclined braces 52 and 51 respectively. These braces are rigidly secured at their lower ends to the rear portion 53 of frame 32 and incline forwardly and upwardly therefrom in parallel along the respective opposite sides of the vehicle 26. Brace 51 rests on the outer portion 41 of the upper flange 56 of beam 44 and is welded thereto at its lower end as seen in FIGURE 10, and inclines upwardly and forwardly therefrom to the upper end of post 49. A rearwardly extending bracket 54 is secured to the upper end of post 49, and the inclined brace 51 is welded to the outside face of the bracket as seen in FIGURES 1 and 4. Brace 52 is similarly mounted on the opposite side of the main frame 32 and is fixed to post 48 by means of bracket 55 which is welded to the 4 upper end portion of post 48 and to the upper end portion of brace 52.

An auxiliary frame 61 is mounted adjacent the upper end portion of the secondary frame 47 to suspend components of the tie ejector unit 23 generally above the fork lift unit 27. The auxiliary frame 61 includes a pair of spaced side forming H-beam members 62 and 63 which extend horizontally and in parallel forwardly of the secondary frame 47 above and in parallel with the front portion 40 of the main frame 32. The rear end of member 63 is welded to the forward face of post 49, and the member extends horizontally forwardly thereof above and in general parallel vertical alignment with side beam 44. Member 63 is supported and braced in its forward extending position from post 49 by means of a corner bracket 64 which is fixed to the front flange of post 49 and to the bottom flange of the member. Member 62 is similarly fixed to post 48 and braced by corner bracket 65.

Beams 62 and 63 function as rail guides for a horizontally moveable carriage 151 component of the tie ejector unit 28. The guides for the carriage 151 are rigidly maintained in parallel positions by angle members 66 and 67 which span the space between the beams in more or less opposite diagonal directions as best seen in FIGURE 1. Angle member 66 rests on and is welded to the forward end portion of beam 62 and extends rearwardly thereof and diagonally of the frame to a resting position on the rear end portion of beam 63 whereat it is fixed, as by welding, to the upper flange of the beam 63. Angle member 67 is similarly secured at one end to the forward end portion of beam 63, and at the other end rests on and is fixed to the upper flange of beam 62. Angle 67 is discontinuous at the juncture 68 of the diagonally extending braces and the respective portions of the angle 67 which extend from the opposite sides of angle 66 are welded to angle 66 at the juncture.

Vehicle 26 has a narrow platform 71 which extends across the vehicle adjacent the rear face of upright frame 47, and on which hydraulic lift mechanism 29 for the fork lift unit 27 is mounted. The platform 71 is supported spacedly above and on main frame 32 by a suitable frame work which is generally indicated at 72.

The platform 71 consists of an elongated flat horizontally disposed rectangular plate and the forward side edge of the plate is supported on and welded to transversely extending brace member 50.

Framework 72 includes post 74 which is fixed upright on frame 32 and more particularly on the outer portion of flange 46 of beam 44. A similar post 60 (FIGURE 5) is provided on the opposite side of the vehicle 32 and is rigidly connected to post 74 spacedly above the main frame 32 by interconnecting channel member 73. Channel member 73 is welded to the rear face of the post 74, and the rear side edge of plate 71 rests on and is welded thereto. Post 74 is offset rearwardly of and fixed to rail guide 49 through channel member 75. Member 75 is welded to and mounted upright on the main frame 32 and is also welded to guide 49 and post 74 which are contiguous therewith along their respective front and rear faces.

Vehicle 26 is provided with another horizontally disposed platform which is fixed spacedly above and to the main frame 32 by means of another rigid framework designated at 81. Platform 80 is situated rearwardly of platform 71 and is offset therebelow as seen in FIGURES 1 and 5. The motor 79 of the vehicle drive mechanism 88 is securely mounted on platform 80, and as best seen in FIGURE 10, the platform extends inwardly of the vehicle from inclined brace 51 and terminates at its inner end generally intermediate the opposite sides of the vehicle.

Framework 81 includes channels 82 and 83, which as seen in FIGURES 4 and 10, are mounted horizontally in parallel, and generally on opposite sides of the vehicle.

The rear end of channel 82 is welded to the inside face of inclined member 51 and the forward end of the channel is welded to the inside face of post 74 below the platform 71. Channel 83 is similarly secured to inclined member 52 and to upright member 60. The rear side edge portion of platform is rigidly secured to cross channel 86 which is fixed to and extends between channels 82 and 83 as seen in FIGURE 10.

The framework 81 also includes upright channel members 8-4 and 85. Members 84 is mounted upright on frame 32, and is fixed at its lower end to side beam 44 in front of the lower end of inclined member 51. The flanges of the channel are cut out along the upper portion of the channel to accommodate the position of inclined member 51, and the web of the channel along this portion of the channel is welded to the inside face of the member 51, the upper end of the channel being welded to horizontal channel 82 in the position shown in FIGURE 10. Upright member 85 is similarly mounted on the opposite side of the frame.

The vehicle is also provided with an elongated transversely extending platform 87 which is supported generally above the main frame at its opposite end on channels 113 and 114. The platform 37 is situated adjacent the rear end extremity of the vehicle and forms a platform from which the operator may manipulate the controls for the various mechanisms mounted on the vehicle.

The drive mechanism 88 for propelling the vehicle along trackway 2 includes an internal combustion engine or motor 75 which is rigidly supported on platform 30. The motor 79 is drivingly connected to a freely rotatable shaft 90 that extends horizontally across the vehicle spaceedly above the main frame 32 and below platform 30. The opposite ends of the shaft 90 are journaled in suitable bearings generally designated at 91 and which are respectively mounted on opposite sides of the vehicles and more particularly on the forward faces of upstanding posts 84 and 85 respectively, as illustrated in FIG URE 4 with reference to post 84. Shaft 90 has a sheave 92 which is fixed thereto generally below and in alignment with sheave 93, the latter being fixed to the drive shaft 94 of motor 79. Belt 95 drivingly connects the motor 79 with shaft 90 by engagement with sheaves 92 and 93.

A narrow transversely extending plate 98 which is fixed at its opposite ends on beams 43 and 44 supports fluid drive mechanism 100 and clutch and transmission mechanism 101. These mechanisms are rigidly mounted on the plate 93 and are aligned and drivingly coupled by shaft 192. Shaft 90 has a sheave 96 which is fixed thereto in alignment with sheave 103, the latter being fixed to shaft 104 of the fiuid drive mechanism 100. Shaft 90 drives the fiuid drive mechanism by a belt 105 which drivingly connects sheaves 96 and 103. The driven shaft 102 of the fiuid drive mechanism 100 functions as the drive shaft for the clutch and transmission mechanism 101 and is connected therethrough to another shaft 106 which is driven in accord with the control of lever 107 of mechanism 101. Shaft 106 is axially aligned with shafts 104 and 102, and the end of shaft 106 is journaled in a suitable bearing, not shown, which is rigidly mounted on the main frame above plate 98. Shaft 106 carries a sheave 109 which is fixed thereto and rotatable therewith and which is aligned with another sheave 110 that is securely mounted on and rotatable with the front axle 111 on which the driven Wheels 33 of the apparatus are mounted.

Movement of the vehicle on the trackway is controlled by the operator from a foot stand 09 shown in FIGURE 4 which is mounted on the frame 32 generally between platform 80 and platform 87. The foot stand 99 is offset below the former and above the latter platform, and has a foot pedal 89 which is pivotally mounted thereon and connected to lever 107 through link 87'. The clutch and transmission mechanism 101 may be controlled by moving lever 107 to one position by means of which shafts 102 and 106 are disconnected. By moving 6 lever 107 to a second position shafts 102 and 106 are connected to drive the shaft 106 in one direction whereas when lever 107 is moved to a third position shafts 102 and 106 are connected to drive saft 106 in an opposite direction. As such, movement of the vehicle on the railway is controlled by manipulation of lever 107.

The pump 108 for the hydraulic system to be described hereafter, is fixed to and suspended from a transversely extending plate 76 which is welded at its ends to the bottoms of channels 82 and 83 adjacent posts 74 and 60 and generally forwardly of shaft 90. Shaft 90 carries another sheave 76' which is keyed to the shaft in alignment with pump sheave 77 and which is drivingly connected to the pump by belt 78.

The vehicle is provided with a pair of horizontally disposed and longitudinally extending channel members 113 and 114 which are mounted in parallel and on opposite sides of the vehicle spacedly above and outwardly of the respective side forming members 44 and 43 of the main frame as seen in FIGURES 1, 4 and 6. Member 113 is welded at its forward end to the outside face of post 49 and adjacent its rear end to the outside face of inclined member 51. Channel 114 is similarly fixed at the opposite side of the vehicle to post 48 and inclined member 52.

The driven wheels 33 of the vehicle are fixed to the opposite ends of axle 111. Axle 111 is journaled in bearings 115, which are respectively mounted on opposite sides of the vehicle as seen in FIGURE 6 between the outwardly extending flanges of members 113 and 114 respectively. Axle 111 extends across the vehicle behind the secondary frame and extends through suitable openings in channels 113 and 114 and in spacing channel 75. The flanged following wheels 34 are securely mounted adjacent the rear end of the vehicle as shown in FIG- URES 1, 4 and 10, on transversely extending axle 116. Axle 116 is journaled adjacent its opposite ends in bearings 117, which like bearings are mounted on opposite sides of the vehicle between the outwardly extending flanges of members 113 and 114 respectively.

Th fork lift unit 27 includes a pair of forks 120 and 121 which are adapted to support a pile of ties such as pile 19 (FIGURE 4) at selected elevated positions at which the tie ejector unit may be operated to eject the ties individually from the pile. The forks 120 and 121 are arranged horizontally and extend in parallel forwardly from a vertical disposed generally rectangular back frame 123 which is suspended between posts 48 and 49 and which is vertically movable therebetweenl. The forks are fixed to the bottom end of the frame and respectively adjacent the opposite sides of the frame. Back frame 123 has opposite vertically extending spaced side rail members 124 and 125 (FIGURE 5) which are situated upright between the inwardly extending flanges of posts 48 and 42 respectively. The rails 124 and 125 are rigidly interconnected by transversely extending upper and lower end members 126 and 127 of the frame. The frame 123 is adapted to slide up and down between the posts 48 and 49 and is restrained from forward and rear ward movement relative to the vehicle by the inwardly projecting flanges 122 of the posts.

The forks 120 and 121 are interconnected and spaced in arallel by a cross member 119 which extends between and is welded to the forks spacedly forwardly of frame 123 as shown in FIGURE 1. When the unit 27 is at its lowermost position, as shown in FIGURE 1 at 118, the forks 120 and 121 extend forwardly from the back frame 123 in parallel with and between the adjacent inside faces of side members 43 and 44 of frame 32.

A pair of angle members 57 and 58 are provided in the apparatus to brace the back frame 123 and to maintain the ties spacedly forwardly thereof when supported on forks 120 and 121. Angle member 57 is supported upright on fork member 120 and is welded to the end members 126 and 127 of the back frame with one leg 59 of the angle extending forwardly thereof as seen in FIGURES 1 and 5.

Angle member 59 is similarly fixed to the frame 123 adjacent to the opposite side of the unit 27 and is fixed upright on fork member 121 thereof.

The unit 27 is moved up and down by a hydraulic lift mechanism which is connected thereto and generally designated at 29. The lift mechanism 29 includes a pair of vertically extending hydraulic cylinders 129 and 136 which are respectively mounted upright on and adjacent to the opposite ends of platform 71 as best seen in FIGURES 1, 4 and 5. The cylinders support and are fixed at their upper ends to an elongated narrow plate 131 which extends generally transversely of the vehicle and which is offset slightly rearwardly of the secondary frame 47 and adapted to pass up and down between brackets 54 and 55. As seen in FIGURE 4, the lower end portion 132 of the piston arm 133 of cylinder 130 extends through a suitable opening (not shown) in platform 71 and is fixed thereto by nuts 134 and 135 which threadedly engage the end portion 132 and respectively bear against the upper and lower faces 136 and 137 of plate 71 to secure the cylinder in an upright position on plate 71. Cylinder 129 is similarly mounted adjacent the other end of platform 71.

Plate 131 is supported horizontally on and rigidly fixed to the upper ends of the cylinders 129 and 130 and moves up and down in accord with extension and retraction of the piston arms of the cylinders. The plate 131 carries a horizontal shaft 138 thereabove which extends generally crosswise of the vehicle and which is journalled at its opposite ends in suitable bearings 139 and 140. Bearings 139 and 140 are secured on the upper surface of plate 131 adjacent the respective opposite ends thereof.

Sheaves 141 and 142 are keyed to and rotatable with shaft 138 and are offset from one another toward the opposite ends of the shaft 138. The fork lift unit is suspended on the vehicle by means of wire ropes 143 and 144 which pass over sheaves 141 and 142 respectively. Each rope as best seen in FIGURE 4 with reference to rope 144, is secured at one end, as at 145, to the lower end member 127 of vertically moveable frame 123 and extends upwardly therefrom and behind upper end member 126 of the frame and then rearwardly over the sheave with which it is associated; such as sheave 142, and then downwardly to cross member 73 to which the other end of the rope is secured as at 146.

Plate 131, as shown in FIGURE 1, is provided with suitable side edge slots 147 adjacent the spaced sheaves 141 and 142 through which the ropes extend in passing over the sheaves. Cylinders 129 and 130, as will be subsequently seen are operated in parallel and when their piston arms are simultaneously caused to be extended, the cylinders force the sheaves 141 and 142 upwardly to elevated positions such as depicted at 148 in FIGURE 1, and accordingly, draw the lower rope ends which are connected to the backframe 123 of unit 27 upwardly to thereby elevate the forks above the position 118 shown in FIGURE 1.

As best seen in FIGURE 5, a tank 146 for fluid employed in the hydraulic system is securely mounted on platform 71 between cylinders 129 and 130.

The tie ejector unit 28 includes a ram mechanism 150 which is suspended from a horizontally moveable carriage 151 that is forwardly and rearwardly moveable generally above the front portion 40 of frame 32 and the fork components 120 and 121 of the fork lift unit 27.

The side beams 62 and 63 of the auxiliary frame 61 function as guides for carriage rail members 152 and 153. Rail 152, as best seen in FIGURE 1, extends longitudinally of the auxiliary frame and is slidably disposed between the inwardly extending and vertically spaced flanges of rail guide 62. Rail member 153 is similarly slidably disposed in parallel with member 152 between the inwardly extending flanges of guide 63 and is rigidly spaced from and connected to rail member 152 by cross member 154. Member 154 extends generally transversely of the auxiliary frame and is welded at its opposite ends to members 152 and 153 generally intermediate the opposite ends of the respective rail members. An elongated bar 155 on which the ram is mounted is suspended spacedly below member 154 on a vertically extending pivot pin 156 which is situated intermediate the ends of member 154.

The carriage 151 is moved back and forth on the auxiliary frame by means of hydraulic cylinder 157 which is drivingly connected to the carriage 151 through a chain drive mechanism 158. Mechanism 158 has chain components which connect the carriage generally laterally of the opposite side forming members 62 and 63 of the auxiliary frame.

To facilitate the chain connections, cross member 154 is provided with rigid extensions at its opposite ends in the form of horizontally dispersed plate 159 and 15th which are offset below member 154 and which respectively extend outwardly from beneath guiders 62 and 63. Plate 159 is securely connected to the end portion of cross members 154 through a small spacer block 161 which is fixed to member 154, and to which the plate 159 is welded at its inner end. Block 161 is situated adjacent the inside edge of the lower flange of guide 62 as seen in FIGURE 6. Plate 159 extends outwardly from beneath guide 62 and carries an upright plate element 162 at its outer end which is securely connected to the plate 159, and to which components of the chain drive mechanism 158 are connected. Plate is rigidly secured to the other end portion of the cross member 154 through another spacer block 163 which is situated adjacent to and inwardly of the lower flange of guide 63 and is welded to plate 160 and member 154. Plate 160 extends laterally of and from beneath the guide 63 and carries an upright plate element 165 which is welded to the plate at its outer end. Other components of the chain drive mechanism are connected to element 165 as shown hereinafter,

The ram carrying bar member 155 is suspended from the carriage 151 by means of pivot pin 156, and offset and spaced below the cross bar 154 by means of spacer plates 164 and 166. Plate 166 is fixed to the underside of bar 154, and plate 164 is fixed to the upper side of bar member 155. Ram carrying bar 155 is pivotally supported generally intermediate its ends on the head (not shown) of pin 156, and the pin extends upwardly therethrough and through spacer plates 164 and 166, and cross member 154 to unit 156 which threadedly engages the pin and rests on the upper surface of bar 154. As seen in FIGURES 1 and 6, the ram carrying bar member 155 has a pair of blocks 168 and 169 which are fixed to the upper face of the member adjacent to the inner ends of plates 159 and 160 respectively. When bar 155 is in the position shown in FIGURES l and 6, blocks 168 and 169 are so disposed relative to the ends of the extrusion plates and to blocks 161 and 163 as to prevent bar 155 from swinging on pin 156. From the position shown in FIGURES l and 6, bar 155 may be rotated so as to dispose the sheave 167 of the ram on the opposite side of the vehicle, and thus enable operation of the mechanism from selected working positions on either side thereof. This may be accomplished by sufliciently loosening nut 156' to lower bar 155 to a position at which blocks 168 and 169 clear the bottom of carriage cross arm extensions 159 and 160 and by then swinging the ram carrying bar 155 on pin 156 until the shoe 167 is disposed at the opposite side of the vehicle. The ram mechanism is then secured in the opposite position by drawing the nut 156' tightly down on pin 156 to thereby elevate the bar 155 and position the retainer blocks 168 and 169 adjacent the inner ends of ends of extension plates 15% and 161). Blocks 168 and 169 in addition to serving as means for retaining the bar in the selected working position for the operation of the ram, function as thrust bearings during such operations.

The ram mechanism 150 is suspended from the swingable carriage bar 155, and includes an air operated ram 179 which has a tie engaging shoe or ram head 167 that is secured to the end of the piston arm 171 of the arm. The ram head 167 is slidably mounted on a shaft 172 which is suspended spacedly below and in parallel with bar 155. One end of shaft 172 extends through a plate 174 (FIGURE 7) which is fixed to and depends from the end of bar 155 and which is rigidly braced by suitable corner braces such as shown at 175. The other end of the shaft 172 passes through another depending plate 176 which is fixed to the opposite end of the bar 155 and which is braced by corner braces, such as shown at 177. Shaft 172 is maintained in the position shown by bolts 178 and 179 which pass through the opposite ends of the shaft 172.

The head 167 of the ram 170 includes a pair of elongated vertically disposed side forming plates 183 and 184 which are spaced in parallel by an interconnecting face plate 185 that is welded to the respective outer side edges of plates 183 and 184, as shown in FIGURES 7 and 8. A solid metal block 189 is fixed to and disposed between the side plates 183 and 134 in the upper end portion of the head 167. The head of the ram is slidaole on and suspended from shaft 172, and shaft 172 passes through the block 180 and through the face plate 185. The end of the piston arm 171 also passes through block 18% and face plate 185 below the shaft 172 as seen in FIGURE 3. Piston arm 171 is secured to the shoe by nuts 181 and 182 which bear against the face plate 135 and the block 13-5 respectively.

The lower ends of side plates 183 and 184 are fixed to and interconnected by end plate 136, and the bottom portion of the shoe has a hollow portion 188.

As seen in FIGURES 7 and 8, the lower portion of the shoe 167 is provided with a tie engaging face plate 187 which is mounted in front of the open end of the hollow 18d and which is adapted and arranged to engage the ends of the ties when the ram is operated. Plate 187 is fixed to the face of and overlaps the edges of another plate 189 which fits into the open end of the hollow 188 between the side plates 183 and 134 and between end plate 186 and block 186 as shown in FEGURES 7 and 8. Plates 187 and 189 are retained by a plurality of vertically spaced horizontally extending bolts 1% which extend through respective compression springs 191. The bolts 190 extend through plates 18''] and 189 and through face plate 185 as shown in FIGURES 7 and 8 and are secured thereto by nuts 19?. which engage the threaded ends of the bolts. The springs 191 are disposed on the respective bolts as shown in FIGURES 7 and 9, between outer face plate 185 and plate 189, and constantly urge the latter I outwardly of the open end of the hollow 188. The springs 191 absorb the initial shock when the ram is operated to cause the head 167 to engage the end of a tie to eject the tie from the car 3.

The cylinder portion 173 of the ram 170 is pivotally connected to plate 176 below shaft 172, as at 193, and is supported at the piston arm end of the cylinder on a suitable bracket 194 which is secured to bar 155 generaily intermediate its ends.

When the ram is in a working position, the head 167 of the ram is disposed slightly outwardly of and above the wall of the car, as best seen in FIGURE 6. The head of the ram is suitably sized to engage the end of the tie selected for discharge from the pile without engaging adjacent ties in the same horizontal course as the ram is operated, as seen in FIGURE 4.

When the ram 170 is actuated to discharge a tie, the piston arm 171 is retracted to draw the shoe 167 in the direction of arrow 195 (FIGURE 6) thus causing the shoe 167 to slide inwardly of the position shown in FIGURE 6 on shaft 172. Shaft 172 passes through a compression spring 196 which at one end bears against the inside face of block 1863 of the shoe 167. The other end of the spring bears against a sleeve component 197 of mechanism 150 which is secured to the shaft by bolts 198. Bolts 198 may be removed to facilitate relocation of the sleeve on the shaft 172 to enable adjustment of the tension of the spring, suitably spaced holes being provided in the shaft in which the bolts may be secured upon such reloaction of the sleeves. Spring 1% constantly urges shoe 167 into the position shown in FIGURE 6 and returns the shoe 167 to the position shown therein after the operation of the arm 170.

The drive mechanism 199 for the ram carriage 151 includes a hydraulic cylinder 157 and a chain drive mechanism 158. The cylinder 157 is mounted spacedly above rail guide 63 between a pair of elongated angle members 2% and 201 which are arranged to form a guide 206 for the forward and rearward movement of a sprocket carrying shoe 204 that is secured to the end of the piston arm 205 of the cylinder 157.

Angle member 260 is supported on the upper end extermity of post 49 and extends forwardly and rearwardly thereof in parallel with the spacedly above rail guide 63 as seen in FIGURE 4. Angle 201 is arranged in parallel horizontally spaced relationship to angle member 290, and is fixed to and supported spacedly outwardly of member 2% on a pair of laterally extending angles 2-92 and 203 which are respectively welded to the front and rear faces of post 49 at its upper end.

The cylinder 157 is pivotally secured, as shown in FIG- URE 1, to a fastener 207 which is fixed to the rear end portion of shoe guide 206 and extends forwardly between the upstanding side forming flanges of the guide members 200 and 201.

As seen in FIGURES l and 6, shoe 204 is slidably supported on the inwardly extending horizontally disposed flanges of the guide angles 260 and 201. The shoe 204 carries a pair of sprockets 208 and 269 which are keyed to and horizontally offset from one another on shaft 210. Shaft 210 is rotatably mounted on the shoe 204 and the sprockets 208 and 209 are arranged on the shaft above the slot 149 which is formed between the inwardly projecting flanges of guide forming members 200 and 201, as best shown in FIGURE 6.

The drive mechanism 199 also includes a sprocket carrying shaft 211 which is mounted on the auxiliary frame 61 adjacent to upright frame 47 and another sprocket carrying shaft 212 which is mounted parallel thereto at the forward end of the frame 61. Both of the shafts 211 and 212 are supported above the side forming members 62 and 63 of the auxiliary frame 61 in a horizontal plane which is offset below the general horizontal plate of guide members 200 and 201 as best seen in FIGURE 4.

Shaft 211 extends transversely of the auxiliary frame 61 and is journaled in upstanding bearing ears 213 and 214 which are secured on the side members 62 and 63 respectively. Sprockets 215 and 216 are fixed to the shaft 211 laterally of the respective ears 213 and 214 and are rotatable therewith. Sprocket 216 is disposed beneath slot 149 in guide 206 and in alignment with sprocket 208 on shoe 204. Sprocket 215 is offset laterally of side member 62.

Shaft 212 is supported on forwardly extending angles 217 and 218 which are fixed to and extend forwardly of the end extremities of beams 62 and 63 respectively, as best illustrated in FIGURES l, 4, and 6. The shaft 212 is journaled in upstanding bearing ears 219 and 220 which are respectively fixed on angles 217 and 218. Sprocket 221 is fixed to the end of shaft 212 latereally of car 219 and is aligned with sprocket 215 on shaft 211. Sprocket 222 is fixed on shaft 212 laterally of car 220 and is in alignment with sprocket 209 on shoe 4. Sprockets 222 and 221 are fixed to and rotatable with shaft 212.

The carriage 151 is moved by retracting'and extending the piston arm 205 of cylinder 157, and the motion is imparted to the carriage through a pair of chains 223 and and 224 which are connected to element of the carriage at one side thereof, and through chain 225 which is connected to element 162, at the other side of the carriage 151. I

Chain 223, as best seen in FIGURES 1 and 4, is continuous between its ends and is connected at one end to an ear 226 which is fixed to the forward end portion of guide 206. The other end of the chain 223 is fixed to upright carriage element 165 by connector 21. Ear 226 is rigidly mounted on angle member 201 and projects inwardly of the upright side forming flange of the angle as seen in FIGURE 1. As seen in FIGURE 4, the chain 223 has one end section which extends rearwardly from its end connection with ear 226 to shoe mounted sprocket 209 and which engagingly passes around the sprocket 209 from the top to the bottom. From the bottom of the sprocket 209, another section of the chain 223 extends forwardly and downwardly through the slot 149 in guide 206 to engage shaft mounted sprocket 222 and this section of chain 223 engagingly passes around sprocket 222 from the top to the bottom. The other end section of the chain 223 extends rearwardly from the bottom of sprocket 222 along the outside of member 63 to the connector 21 for securing the chain to carriage element 165.

Chain 224 is continuous between its ends and is fixed at one end to ear 229 which is mounted on the guide 2% rearwardly of the rearmost position attainable by shoe 204. The other end of the chain 224 is also fixed to carriage element 165 by means of connector 21. Bar 229 is fixed to member 200 of the guide 206 and projects inwardly of the upright side forming flange of the member above cylinder 157. The chain 224, as illustrated in FIG- URE 4, has one end section which extends forwardly from ear 229 to engage shoe mounted sprocket 208 (FIGURE 1) by passing around the sprocket from the top to the bottom. From sprocket 208 another section of the chain 224 extends rearwardly from the bottom of the sprocket 208 and downwardly through the slot 149 in guide 206 to engagingly pass around sprocket 216 from the top to the bottom. From the bottom of the sprocket 216 another end section of the chain 224 extends forwardly and is secured to carriage element 165 by means of connector 21.

On the other side of auxiliary frame 61, chain 225 (FIGURE 9) is connected at its ends to carriage element 162 by connector 22, and is continuous therebetween. One end section of the chain, as shown in the illustration, extends forwardly from its connection with element 162, along the outside of member 62 and engagingly passes over sprocket 221 from the bottom of the sprocket to the top. An intermediate'section of the chain 225 extends rearwardly from the top of sprocket 221 to the top of sprocket 215 whereat it connects with the other end section of the chain 225, and extends engagingly around sprocket 215 from the top of the sprocket to the bottom and then forwardly therefrom to its connection with carriage element 162.

The carriage 151 is drawn forwardly on the auxiliary frame 161 by retracting piston arm 205 of cylinder 157. As the piston arm is being retracted, chain 223 passes about sprocket 209 in the direction of arrow 227. This causessprocket 208 to rotate in the same direction and to feed the small amount of slack in chain 224 which develops between the sprocket 208 and ear 229 toward sprocket 216. As chain 223 is being drawn over sprocket 209, it is also being pulled over sprocket 222, and draws the carriage forward by virtue of its direct connection with carriage side element 165 while simultaneously driving shaft 212 in the direction of arrow 228. By driving shaft 212 in this direction, chain 223 also causes chain 225 to move in the direction of arrows 228 and 230 (FIG- URE 9), and the carriage is accordingly also drawn forwardly by chain 225, and shaft 211 is caused to rotate in the direction of arrow 230. By virtue of this rotation of shaft 211, the slack in chain 224 which is fed toward sprocket 216 by the rotation of sprocket 208 is fed by sprocket 216 toward the end connection of chain 224 with 12 carriage element 165 thereby enabling unrestricted movement of the carriage forwardly on the frame.

To move the carriage 151 rearwardly toward the secondary frame the piston arm 205 is caused to be extended. As this happens, chain 224 passes about sprocket 208 in a direction opposite to that indicated by arrow 227, and sprocket 209 is thereby rotated on shaft 210 in the same direction as sprocket 208. As such, sprocket 209 feeds the small amount of slack which develops in chain 223 between ear 226 and the sprocket 209 toward sprocket. 222.

As chain 224 is passing about sprocket 208, by the extension of the piston arm it is being drawn about sprocket 216 in a direction opposite to arrow 230, and thus draws the carriage rearwardly on the auxiliary frame 61 by virtue of its end connection to element 165 and simultaneously drives shaft 211 in a direction opposite to arrow 230. In rotating shaft 211, chain 224 also causes chain 225 to move in a direction which is opposite to arrows 230 and 228, as shown in FIGURE 9, and accordingly causes chain 225 to draw the carriage rearwardly at its side of the frame, and to rotate shaft 212 in a direction opposite to arrow 228. By virtue of this movement of shaft 212, the slack in chain 223 which is fed toward sprocket 222 is fed by the latter toward element 165 to thereby enable unrestricted rearward movement of the carriage.

It is deemed apparent that through the operation of the cylinder 157, the carriage may be disposed at selected positions forward of the secondary frame and thus dispose the ram head in selected positions to engage the ends of the ties.

The load stabilizing mechanism 31 includes a shaft 232 which is mounted transversely of and at the front end of frame 32 as seen in FIGURE 1. Shaft 232 is journaled at its opposite ends in side members 43 and 44 of frame 32. The flanges at the front end of side members 43 and 44 are cut out to facilitate the mounting of platform engaging legs 233 and 234 at opposite ends of the shaft 232 and in general alignment respective with hydraulic cylinders 238 and 239. The legs provide a means for engaging a surface exteriorly of the vehicle to prevent tilting of the apparatus. Leg 233 is fixed at its upper end to shaft 232 adjacent the inside of web 240 of beam 43, and is pivotally connected at its lower end as at 237, to a link bar 236 which extends rearwardly thereof between the inwardly projecting flange of beam 43. The rear end of link bar 236 is pivotally connected to a bracket 241 which is secured to the end of piston arm 242 of hydraulic cylinder 238. Cylinder 238 is fixed to member 43 between its inwardly projecting flanges and has a compression spring 243 which surrounds the piston arm 242 between the end of the cylinder and bracket 241. Spring 243 constantly urges the piston arm out of the cylinder 238. Cylinder 239 is mounted between the inwardly extending flanges of beam 44 and is connected to leg 234 by link 244 in the same manner that cylinder 238 is connected to leg 233. The piston arm 246 of cylinder 239 also extends through a compression spring 245 which bears against the end of cylinder casing and against bracket 247 to constantly urge the piston arm 246 out of the cylinder. Legs 233 and 234 are fixed in parallel on shaft 232, and in the position shown in FIGURE 4 are engaging the surface 248 of car platform 36 thereby preventing the apparatus from tilting forwardly under the load of ties carried in the fork lift unit 27 as will be seen hereinafter. The springs are adapted to urge the shoes 233 and 234 into the dotted line position shown at 249 in FIGURE 4.

The air system for the ram mechanism is shown in FIGURE 11. The ram mechanism is operated from the air pressure system 250 of the train, the system being connected by line 251 to a tank 252 which is securely mounted on top of the auxiliary frame 61 as seen in FIGURES l, 4 and 6. Pressurized air in tank 252 is supplied through air feed line 253 to a two position valve 254 which is suitably mounted on the vehicle and controlled by the operator from platform 87.

Valve 254 is connected to cylinder 173 of the ram mechanism by feed line 255. Line 255 is connected to the piston arm end of cylinder 173, and the other end of the cylinder is open to the atmosphere, as indicated by arrow 256, to enable air to pass out of the cylinder as the piston arm is retracted and to enable air to pass into this end of the cylinder as the arm is thereafter extended by spring 191.

Valve 254 has one position indicated by broken line 257 which connects air feed line 253 with feed line 255. This connection enables pressurized air to pass to cylinder 173 which forces the piston arm 171 to become retracted and thus forcefully draws tie engaging shoe 167 in the direction of arrow 195 on shaft 172 to engage the end of a tie and forcefully impells it from the fork lift unit 27 and over the side of the car. When the piston arm 171 is retracted spring 191 is compressed and maintained under compression until valve 254 is controlled to the second position.

The second position is indicated by broken line 258 which connects ram feed line 255 with an atmospheric discharge line indicated by arrow 259 that enables the pressurized air in the cylinder 173 to discharge back through line 255 and to the atmosphere through valve 254. As the air discharges from the cylinder, shoe 167 is forced back to its initial working position 260 above and laterally of the side of the car by compression spring 191. It is believed obvious to those skilled in the art that in the second position of valve 254, lines 255 and 253 are disconnected from each other.

The hydraulic system for the fluid actuated cylinders is shown in FIGURE 12. The hydraulic lift mechanism 29, the carriage cylinder 157, and the hydraulic cylinders for the load stabilizing mechanism 31 are connected in a hydraulic system generally indicated at 261. In the system 261, the motor 79, as previously shown, drives pump 1118. Pump 103 draws fluid, such as oil, through line 262 from supply tank 261, pressurizes the fluid and feeds it to valves 263 and 264 by means of pump discharge line 265. The fluid returned through valves 263 and 264 is returned to the tank 261 by means of tank return line 266. Valves 263 and 264 are suitably mounted on the vehicle and controlled by the operator of the apparatus from platform 87.

Control valve 263 is a three position valve and is connected to and simultaneously controls the operation of hydraulic lift cylinders 129 and 130 of the hydraulic lift mechanism 29 and of hydraulic cylinders 238 and 239 of the load stabilizing mechanism 31. Valve 263 is connected cylinders 129 and 131) by means of line 267 and branch lines 268 and 269, and to cylinders 238 and 239 by means of line 267 and branch lines 270 and 271. As such cylinders 129, 130, 238, and 239 are connected in parallel and are simultaneously controlled by valve 263.

Branch lines 263 and 269 are connected to the closed ends of cylinders 129 and 13% respectively whereby when valve 263 is controlled to admit pressurized fluids to line 267 and thus also to the cylinders 129 and 130, the piston arms 133' and 133 are caused to extend thereby elevating the sheave carrying plate 131 and the fork lift unit 32 through the wire rope connections thereto. The piston arm ends of cylinders 129 and 130 are connected to air exhaust lines 273 to enable the air displaced during the extension of the arms 133' and 133 to be expelled from the cylinders, and conversely to enable air to be drawn back into the cylinders the piston arms are retracted through proper control of valve 263.

Branch lines 270 and 271 are connected to the piston arm ends of cylinder 238 and 239 respectively whereby when pressurized fluid is admitted to line 267 and thus to the cylinders, the piston arms 242 and 246 are caused to retract against the urgings of springs 243 and 245 respectively. The closed ends of cylinders 238 and 239 are connected to exhaust air lines 273' to facilitate the expulsion of air displaced by the pistons when fluid is admitted to the other ends of the cylinders through branch lines 271) and 271, and also to admit air when the piston arms are extended by springs 243 and 245.

In the first position for valve 263, which position is indicated by broken line 274, the pump discharge line 265 and fluid line 267 are connected whereby pressurized fluid is admitted to line 267 and thus to cylinder 238 and 239 through branch lines 270 and 271, and simultaneously to cylinders 129 and 130 through branch lines 268 and 269. As such, piston arms 242 and 246 are forced to retract against the urgings of springs 243 and 245 and the exterior surface engaging legs 233 and 234 of the stabilizing mechanism engage the surface 36 of car platform 6 to stabilize the vehicle against foreward tilting. Simultaneously the fork lift unit 27 is elevated as the piston arms 133' and 133 of cylinder 129 and 130 extend by the pressurized fluid admitted to cylinders 129 and 130.

When the fork lift 27 is at the desired position for the ram mechanism to carry out its function, valve 263 is controlled to the second position which is generally indicated by broken line 275. In this position, the fluid in line 267, branch lines 270, 271, 268, and 269 and in the cylinders 238, 239, 129, and 130 is selaed ofl from the pump discharge line 265, as well as from tank return line 266, and the fork lift unit is rendered stationary at the desired position.

The fluid in cylinders 129, 131, 238, and 239 when the valve is in the second position is under a static pressure determined primarily by the Weight of the fork lift unit and the load carried on the forks 120 and 131 thereof. It will be recognized by those skilled in the art that whether or not piston arms 242 and 246 are retracted under these circumstances will be determined by the compressive strength of the springs. It is assumed in the illustration ere that springs 243 and 245 are of insufficient strength to overcome the fluid pressure in cylinders 238 and 239 when the forks are elevated with a load thereon but nevertheless of suthcient strength to extend the piston arms 242 and 246 when the fork lift unit is unloaded. Needless to say, however, the springs may be of greater strength and only permit the retraction of arms 242 and 246 when the load supported on the forks is such as would render the apparatus unstable.

Therefore in accord with the illustration, springs 243 and 245 extend the piston arms 242 and 246 of cylinders 238 and 239 as the last tie is discharged from lift unit 27. Thereafter when valve 263 is controlled to the third position shown by broken line 276, cylinder feed line 267 is connected to the tank feed line 266 thereby permitting cylinders 129, 139, 238,, and 239 to discharge the fluid therein to reservoir 261 under the pressure exerted on the system by the weight of the unit 27 and its associated parts and the lift returns to the position shown at 118 in FIGURE 1.

The carriage cylinder 157 for the ram mechanism is controlled by three position control valve 264. Cylinder 157 is connected to valve 264 by a cylinder feed line 277 which is connected to the closed end of the cylinder 157 and by a return line 278 which is connected to the piston arm end of the cylinder 157.

In the first position for valve 264, indicated by broken lines 279, pump discharge line 265 and feed line 277 are connected and reservoir return line 266 and return line 278 are also simultaneously connected. As such, pressurized fluid is admitted to the closed end of cylinder 157 through line 277 and carriage piston arm 295 is caused to extend and move the carriage 151 forwardly on frame 61. The fluid on the piston arm side of piston 230 is discharged from the cylinder 157 while the valve is in this first position, and is returned to the tank 261 through lines 278 and 266 by way of valve 264.

In the second position for valve 264, as illustrated by lines 281, the liquid in feed line 277 and return line 278 is sealed off from pump discharge line 265 and tank return line 266 and from each other, and the arm 2% is rendered stationary.

The third position for valve 264 is indicated by lines 282. In this position pump discharge line 265 is connected to return line 278 and simultaneously reservoir return line 266 is connected to cylinder feed line 277, and pressurized fluid is fed to the piston arm end of cylinder 157 through return line 278 thereby forcing piston 2S0 toward the closed end of the cylinder 157 and forcing the fluid at this end of the cylinder to be discharged therefrom through feed line 277, valve 264 and reservoir line 2-66 to tank 261.

In the operation of the apparatus to discharge ties from car 3, the fork lift unit 27 is first disposed in the position shown in FIGURE 1 at 118, and the vehicle 2-6 is caused to move forwardly on trackway 2 until the front portion 40 of the main frame and the forks 120 and 121 are disposed beneath the pile of ties to be lifted. Thereafter, the fork lift unit 27 is raised by suitable control of the hydraulic lift mechanism 29 to elevate the pile 19 of ties 9 to a position, such as shown in FIGURE 4 at 283. In this position the top course 284 of ties 9 in the pile 19 is in the same general working plane as the shoe of ram mechanism 150. Thereafter the carriage 151 for the ram mechanism 150 is controlled to position the shoe 167 of the ram mechanism 150 adjacent the end of a selected tie in the top course 234 to be ejected from the pile 19 and from the car 3, and the ram mechanism is then operated to cause the shoe 167 to forcefully engage the end of the tie and thereby eject it from the pile and impell it over the side of the car 3. Following ejection of the selected tie, the carriage is again operated to reposition shoe 167 adjacent the end of another tie in the top course and the ram mechanism is again operated to eject the selected tie. This process is repeated and the ties in the top course are successively and selectively ejected from the pile until all ties in the upper course 284 have been discharged from the car and to the side of the railway 10. Thereafter the pile 19 is lifted on forks 120 and 121 to dispose the next course 285 in the general working plane of shoe 167 and the process is repeated until all ties in this course of the pile have been discharged. The process is repeated until all ties in the pile have been ejected from the pile and over the side of the car 3.

Operation of the tie unloading apparatus 1 may take place as the train 4- is slowly moving along the railway 10 thus enabling the ties to be discharged along the side of the railway 10 as desired. The ties, in being ejected from the pile, pass over the side of the car opposite to the side at which shoe 167 is located. For reasons of being ejected from the pile by forces applied to the ends of the ties While they are positioned on the lift unit generally crosswise of the car 3, the ties are discharged from the car with their longitudinal axes directed generally transversely of the railway 10 for the train and accordingly fall to the side of the roadbed in this manner in a more or less orderly fashion as the train moves along and which therefor eliminates the need for inspecting and turning the ties when they are thereafter picked up by the track crews for placement in the roadbed.

It is apparent that the various modifications embodying the concepts of the invention may be made. For example, whereas the apparatus in the preferred embodiment shown and described herein, is illustrated as being mounted on and adapted for movement along a trackway, it is evident that the principle of the invention may be em bodied in apparatus'which is steerable and mounted, for example, on pneumatic tires. Similarly, whereas the ram in the embodiment shown is actuated by air, it is evident that other fluid means may be employed for this purpose.

Consequently, while only a certain preferred embodiment of this invention has been shown and described by way of illustration, many modifications will occur to those skilled in the art and it is, therefore, desired that it be understood that it is intended in the appended claims to cover all such modifications as fall witln'n the true spirit and scope of this invention.

What is claimed as new and what it is desired to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A crosstie handling apparatus comprising a wheeled vehicle adapted to travel along a trackway having spaced parallel rails, said vehicle having a front frame portion adapted to fit in the space between and below the upper face of the rails, said frame portion including opposite side forming members spaced from each other, a pair of vertically movable forks carried by said vehicle adapted to fit in the space between said side forming members, means for propelling said vehicle along the trackway to move said side forming members and said pair of forks beneath a pile of ties extending crosswise of the rails and stacked uniformly thereon in vertical and horizontal rows, means for elevating said forks above said front portion to lift the pile to an elevated position thereabove, carriage means carried by said vehicle and rearwardly and forwardly movable in a horizontal plane above said frame portion and above said forks, tie engaging means suspended from and movable with said carriage means, said tie engaging means being inwardly and horizontally movable from a position laterally of and above said frame portion and being adapted to engage the end of a tie in the top row of the pile at said elevated position, means for moving said carriage means to position said tie engaging means adjacent the end of a selected tie in the top row of the pile at the elevated position, means for forcefully moving said tie engaging means inwardly of the lateral position to forcefully engage the end of the selected tie and to discharge the selected tie from the pile, means pivotally connected to said front frame portion and movable into engagement with a surface exteriorly of the vehicle and between the rails to stabilize said apparatus against forward tilting on the trackway under the load of the pile of ties on the forks at the elevated position, and hydraulic means for moving the pivotally connected means into such surface engagement.

2. A tie unloading apparatus comprising a self-propelled vehicle having flanged wheels and being adapted to travel along a trackway, vertically moveable support means carried by said vehicle in front of said wheels for thereon supporting a pile of ties respectively extending crosswise of the trackway and uniformly stacked in vertical and horizontal rows, means for lifting said support means above the trackway thereby to lift the supported pile of ties thereon to an elevated position above the trackway, a tie ejector unit carried by said vehicle for individually ejecting the ties from the pile on said support means, said ejector unit including shoe means adapted to engage the end of a tie, carriage means carrying the shoe means for moving the shoe means longitudinally of the trackway to a position adjacent the end of a selected one of the ties in the top row of the pile at said elevated position, and means for forcefully moving said shoe means transversely of the trackway against the end of the selected one of the ties to thereby eject the selected tie from the pile and impel the tie laterally of the trackway, said apparatus further comprising means pivotally moveable into engagement with a surface exterior of said vehicle and in front of said wheels for stabilizing said apparatus against forward tilting, and hydraulic means for pivotally moving the pivotally moveable means into such surface engagement.

3. The combination comprising a railway car having a platform and opposite upstanding side walls, spaced rails mounted on said platform between said walls for supporting piles of crossties respectively stacked crosswise thereon in vertical and horizontal rows, and a tie unloading apparatus including a wheeled vehicle mounted on and adapted to travel along said spaced rails, lift means in front of the wheels for lifting a pile of crossties from said rails to a selected position thereabove, and means for discharging the crossties individually from the lifted pile and for impelling the crossties over one of said side walls comprising shoe means adapted to engage the end of a tie, a carriage carrying said shoe means for moving said shoe means longitudinally of the rails to a position adjacent the end of a selected crosstie in the top row of the pile at said selected position, and power means carried by said carriage for forcefully moving said shoe means against the end of the selected crosstie to impel the selected crosstie over said one of said side walls, said unloading apparatus further including means carried by said vehicle and being pivotally moveable into surface engagement with said platform in front of the wheels for stabilizing said vehicle against forward tilting under the load lifted by said lift means, and hydraulic means for moving the pivotally moveable means into such engagement.

4. The combination comprising a railway car having a platform and opposite upstanding side walls, spaced rails mounted on said platform between said walls for supporting piles of crossties stacked crosswise thereon, and a tie unloading apparatus including a wheeled vehicle mounted on and adapted to travel on said spaced rails, lift means in front of the wheels for lifting a pile of crossties from said rails to a selected position thereabove, and means for discharging the crossties individually from the lifted pile and for impelling the crossties over one of said side walls, said tie unloading apparatus further including means carried by said vehicle and being pivotally moveable into engagement with said platform in front of the wheels for stabilizing said vehicle against forward tilting under the load lifted by said lift means, and hydraulic means for moving the pivotally moveable means into such engagement.

5. The combination comprising a railway car having a platform and opposite upstanding side Walls, spaced rails mounted on said platform between said side walls for supporting piles of crossties thereon and wherein the crossties in each of the piles extend crosswise of the rails and are uniformly stacked in vertical and horizontal having flanged wheels and being mounted on said rails for travel therealong, vertically moveable support means carried by said vehicle in front of said wheels and adapted to pass beneath a pile of crossties supported on said rails, means for lifting said support means above the rails thereby to lift the pile to an elevated position above said rails, a tie ejector unit carried by said vehicle for individually ejecting the crossties from the lifted pile; said tie ejector unit comprising shoe means located above-and laterally of said support means and being adapted to engage the end of a crosstie, carriage means carrying the shoe means and being moveable horizontally along the trackway and relative to said support means in a horizontal plane above said support means for moving the shoe means longitudinally of the rails to a position adjacent the end of a selected tie in the top row of the lifted pile at said elevated position, and power means for forcefully moving said shoe means transversely of the rails, and against the end of the selected tie, thereby to eject the selected tie from the pile and impel it laterally of the trackway; and stabilizing means mounted on the vehicle and engageable with a surface exteriorly thereof for stabilizing said apparatus against forward tilting under the load of the lifted pile.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,460,544 2/1949 Smith 214514 2,467,493 4/1949 Pabich 214-8.5 2,685,972 8/1954 Eisenhard 2l4--l6.42 2,709,532 3/1955 Marietta 214-514 2,797,826 7/ 1957 Kuhlenschrnidt.

2,801,014 7/1957 Colson 2l4520 2,956,697 10/1960 Madden.

3,044,641 7/1062 Code 214l52 3,048,289 8/ 1962 Franklin.

3,107,803 10/1963 Glosup 2145l4 X GERALD M. FORLENZA, Primary Examiner. MORRIS TEMIN, HUGO O. SCHULZ, Examiners. 

1. A CROSSTIE HANDLING APPARATUS COMPRISING A WHEELED VEHICLE ADAPTED TO TRAVEL ALONG A TRACKWAY HAVING SPACED PARALLEL RAILS, SAID VEHICLE HAVING A FRONT FRAME PORTION ADAPTED TO FIT IN THE SPACE BETWEEN AND BELOW THE UPPER FACE OF THE RAILS, SAID FRAME PORTION INCLUDING OPPOSITE SIDE FORMING MEMBERS SPACED FROM EACH OTHER, A PAIR OF VERTICALLY MOVABLE FORKS CARRIED BY SAID VEHICLE ADAPTED TO FIT IN THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID SIDE FORMING MEMBERS, MEANS FOR PROPELLING SAID VEHICLE ALONG THE TRACKWAY TO MOVE SAID SIDE FORMING MEMBERS AND SAID PAIR OF FORKS BENEATH A PILE OF TIES EXTENDING CROSSWISE OF THE RAILS AND STACKED UNIFORMLY THEREON IN VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL ROWS, MEANS FOR ELEVATINGY SAID FORKS ABOVE SAID FRONT PORTION TO LIFT THE PILE TO AN ELEVATED POSITION THEREABOVE, CARRIAGE MEANS CARRIED BY SAID VEHICLE AND REARWARDLY AND FORWARDLY MOVABLE IN A HORIZONTAL PLANE ABOVE SAID FRAME PORTION AND ABOVE SAID FORKS, TIE ENGAGING MEANS, SUSPENDED FROM AND MOVABLE WITH SAID CARRIAGE MEANS, SAID TIE ENGAGING MEANS BEING INWARDLY AND HORIZONTALLY MOVABLE FROM A POSITION LATERALLY OF AND ABOVE SAID FRAME PORTION AND BEING ADAPTED TO ENGAGE THE END OF A TIE IN THE TOP ROW OF THE PILE AT SAID ELEVATED POSITION, MEANS FOR MOVING SAID CARRIAGE MEANS TO POSITION SAID TIE ENGAGING MEANS ADJACENT THE END OF A SELECTED TIE IN THE TOP ROW OF THE PILE AT THE ELEVATED POSITION, MEANS FOR FORCEFULLY MOVING SAID TIE ENGAGING MEANS INWARDLY OF THE LATERAL POSITION TO FORCEFULLY ENGAGE THE END OF THE SELECTED TIE AND TO DISCHARGE THE SELECTED TIE FROM THE PILE, MEANS PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO SAID FRONT FRAME PORTION AND MOVABLE INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH A SURFACE EXTERIORLY OF THE VEHICLE AND BETWEEN THE RAILS TO STABILIZE SAID APPARATUS AGAINST FORWARD TILTING ON THE TRACKWAY UNDER THE LOAD OF THE PILE OF TIES ON THE FORKS AT THE ELEVATED POSITION, AND HYDRAULIC MEANS FOR MOVING THE PIVOTALLY CONNECTED MEANS INTO SUCH SURFACE ENGAGEMENT. 